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Ride the slide, ease the hammer,,,

montanajoe
  • Community moderator
On a unloaded semi auto, do you ride the slide closed and/or ease the hammer down?  Or do you just release the slide catch and pull the trigger?

My Kimber manual says to ease the slide and hammer on an unloaded gun.  I've failed to follow those instructions. 
It doesn't state why to do this but they do however, give warning to never do this with a loaded firearm. 
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Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • mohawk600
    Ride the slide and ease the hammer down. I figure that slide is supposed to close hard on a chambering round....not an empty chamber
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  • NeoBlackdog
    It's a Glock so I just let 'er go and... and....
    What is this "hammer" thingy you speak of?
    12
  • bpost
    I ride the slide when closing in an empty chamber.  It makes sense to me to reduce the hammering force of closing the slide on an empty chamber. 
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  • jimdeere
    On some smaller semiautomatics, the slide release is so small and tight, I have trouble releasing with one hand on a full magazine. I’m accustomed to using both hands.
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  • bustedknee
    It's a Glock so I just let 'er go and... and....
    What is this "hammer" thingy you speak of?
    What is this "empty chamber" thingy you speak of?

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  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator
    Thanks Forge,,
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  • Chief Shaway

    Forge’s explanation makes a lot of sense. As usual.

    I read his response and equated it to dry firing a bow.

    You wouldn’t think that shooting a bow without an arrow would make any more difference than with one, but it does.

    3
  • Horse Plains Drifter
    What is this "hammer" thingy you speak of?
    I think it's what you use to disassemble a Glock? :D
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  • mohawk600
    Joe, this scenario has been argued for years, as to potential damage from dropping the slide on an empty chamber.
    Let’s take an over simplistic view of the dynamics involved.
    The only thing stopping the forward movement of the slide is the bottom barrel lug(feet) hitting the slide release pin. And the velocity of the slide is greater when released without chambering a round from the magazine.
    The velocity of the slide is slowed when chambering a round from the magazine via;
    1. The breach face contacting the cartridge in the magazine.
    2. Resistance to the velocity of the slide primarily involves ‘friction’ from the two magazine lips and the next cartridge in the magazine or the magazine follower. And the stronger the magazine spring the more resistance. I advocate stronger magazine springs for other reasons.
    3. Also, when the bullet nose slams(being pushed by the breach face) into the feed ramp is another hindrance to slide speed. 
    The potential consequences of increased slide velocity can be detrimental to the slide release pin hole(s) enlargement(that’s one reason they make oversized pins). 
    In addition, you risk hammer fallow, trigger bounce and sear nose damage if the sear falls to the half * notch. A couple of reasons the skeleton hammer and trigger exist,,,,,,this minimizes the above problems. Another reason for nothing but high quality parts in my builds.
    Inertia is not your friend when the slide goes into battery,,,,,,,the slide stops but various parts slam into interfaced components. (Think driving your car into a tree, the car stops but you don’t)   :o


    I knew there was a reason why I ride the slide............thx for the explanation forgemonkey,
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  • David Nunn
    I've always been told to not allow the slide to slam shut on the empty chamber of a 1911 pistol, so I didn't and don't.  

    But, what about other pistols?  The slide of a properly working 1911 locks open when the last shot is fired, as it does with a number of modern autoloaders.   Thus the slide never slams shut on an empty chamber unless the operator allows it.

    But there are pistols that do not lock the slide open after the last shot.  For those pistols, the slide routiinely slams shut on an empty chamber.  Is this a bad thing for them?
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  • drobs
    Another 1911 quirk. I was always taught to ease the slide closed on an empty 1911.

    I remember going to Ft. Knox for Army Basic Training back in 1993. There was an Officer Candidate School (OCS) barracks right near ours. I recall watching these Officer Candidates sling shotting their empty M9 Beretta's over and over. Thinking to myself - that cant be good for the gun.




     
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